Paint brush holder



May 25 1965 R. R. RoBERTs ETAL 3,185,3M

PAINT BRUSH HOLDER Filed NOV. 15, 1963 ma@ FIGA lNVENToRs RALPH R ROBERTS ERM/:N C. GERLITZ United States Patent 3,185,311 PAINT BRUSH HGLDER Ralph R. Roberts, 105 Berkley Place, Glen Rock, NJ., and Erwin C. Gerlitz, 211 Bouievard, Pompton Plains,

' Filed Nov. 1s, 196s, ser. No. 323,31@

s claims. (ci. zii-66) This invention pertains to handle-grasping paint brush suspending holders for use with an open top container.

This invention relates more particularly to paint brush holders having adjustable means for grasping a brush by its handle and by such means suspending the brush so as to allow the bristles of the brush to be immersed in a fluid. Even more particularly, this invention relates to a paint brush holder of every inexpensive construction adapted for use with open-topped containers, this holder having adjustable means for selectively grasping the handle at any of many selectable positions so as to permit the user to adapt the brush to the level of uid in the container so as to immerse the bristles of the brush to a desired depth.

In the use of paint brushes it is quite often necessary or highly desirable to conclude the paint operation by immersing the bristles of the brush in a cleaning iiuid or a thin preserving uid such as linseed oil. There are also many occasions when the brush having been incompletely or improperly cleaned and then allowed to dry has thereby developed stiff or hard bristles and becomes unfit for satisfactory use. necessarily be cleaned or discarded. The cleaning of the brush by immersing the bristles in suitable solvents, which is the usual manner, requires that the bristles be soaked for a period of time so that the solvent can do its work. 1f the brush is allowed to rest on its bristles, these bristles often are permanently bent o1' broken, often causing permanent damage and rendering the brush useless for a good paint job. To provide the optimum treatment to the brush bristles with no damage thereto, it is desirable to suspend the brush with the bristles hanging downwardly and with the tips of the bristles in a noncontacting position with the bottom and sides of the container.

It is accordingly a purpose of the instant invention to provide a paint brush holder having means for removably and adjustably grasping the handle of a paint brush so as to suspend the brush in a container with the bristles avoiding contact with the bottom and sides of the container.

It is a further intent to provide a paint brush holder of simple construction and inexpensive to make and adaptable for use with any paint brush having a formed handle Brushes in this condition must and for providing means to suspend this brush in a presev lected position over the open top of a container.

lt is a further intent to provide a paint brush holder having provision for the holding of two paint brushes of different sizes, each brush being independently adjustable so that brushes of all sizes may simultaneously be held at a selected position.

It is a further object of this invention to provide retaining means for engaging the rim of the container so as to assist in holding the brush holder in place on the container while said holder is in use thereon.

The invention contemplates a brush holder having a main body element which is preferably made of sheet metal and may be formed in a progressive die. This body element is rectangularly shaped with the longitudinal sides being curled to provide a longitudinal guide means. Intermediate the ends and sides there is one or more keyhole type openings each of suiiicient size to permit the passage therethrough of the large bulge portion found on most paint brush handles. A slide-grip member for each handle opening is also of sheet metal and with its longitu- "ice dinally disposed sides also curved and adapted to slide upon and engage the curved longitudinal guide means of the body element is longitudinally movable on the body element. One of the lateral edges forming one end of the slide-grip has a curved portion arranged to engage a portion of the paint brush handle after the handle has been inserted in the keyhole opening of the body member.

For the purpose of facilitating an understanding of this invention, there is illustrated in the accompanying drawing a preferred embodiment and a modification thereof from an inspection of which, when considered in connection with the following description, this invention, its mode of construction, assembly and operation and many of its advantages should be readily understood and appreciated. Referring to the drawing in which the same characters or references are employed to indicate corresponding or similar parts through the several figures of the drawing:

FGURE 1 is a perspectve top view of the brush holder of this invention;

FlGfZ is a fragmentary, enlarged top view showing the adjustable means for grasping the handle of the brush;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary, enlarged, isometric sectional view on the line 3 3 of FiG. 1 and showing the relative relationship of the slide-grip and body members;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional View of the slide piece and body member taken on the line 4 4 ot FIG. 2;

FlG. 5 is a side View, partly in section, showing the paint brush holder resting on a paint can or container and holding a brush with the bristles thereof above the bottom of the container;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary, sectional side View showing an alternate container engaging means of the paint brush holder;

FIG. 6A is a fragmentary, sectional side view showing another alternate container engaging means of the paint brush holder, this container being a can with the top removed by a can opener; and

FIG. 7 is a top view of an alternate paint brush holder having means for simultaneously holding two paint brushes by their handles in a suspended position and in an independently adjustable manner.

Referring now to the drawing in which FIGS. 1 through 6 show the preferred exemplication of this invention and in which similar characters designate corresponding parts throughout, the general arrangement of the components are shown in FIG. 1, and in this condition the holder is in the open or handle-receiving position. As shown, a body member 10 is preferably formed of sheet metal of a rectangular shape and having the longitudinal edges 12a and 12b thereof rolled inwardly. The edge on each side -thus provides a three-fold purpose; viz., a safe edge for the grasping of the body by a hand; longitudinal stiness for the body member 10; and track guideways.

The guideways formed by the edges 12a and 12b may be formed so as to be parallel, but in the preferred instance and as reduced to practice, these edges are not parallel but are tapered about two or three degrees total with the narrower point being at the right hand end 14 as viewed in FIG. 1. The purpose of this taper will be discussed later.

Between edges 12a and 12b the body 10 has a generally at portion 16 extending from the right hand end 14 to the left hand end (FIG. 1). This left hand end has a container engaging means which, as shown, includes three finger portions formed therefrom. As best seen in FIGS. l and 5, a pair of fingers 18 and 19 are formed from and extend from the flat portion 16. Each iinger 1S and 1g has the outer portion thereof bent downwardly from the viewed plane, these bent portions forming stop arms 18a and 19a. Intermediate lingers 1S and 19 is stop arm 20,

are

which, as shown, is bent at about ninety degrees from the flat portion i6 and is formed from a portion thereof.

intermediate the ends of the body member l and in the at portion 16 thereof is provided a handle passageway 24% which, in the present instance, is made keyhole shaped as though made by two intersecting circles of dissimilar size. The larger portion of pasageway 24` provides for the passage therethrough of the larger portion Z6 of a shaped handle 28 usually attached and made a part of a paint brush 30 as shown in FG. 5.

' A slide-grip member 32, also preferably made of sheet metal, is disposed to engage and slide on the body member 10. rThis grip member has its longitudinal sides curved so as to form guides 34a and 34h. The bridge portion 36 between sides 34a and 34] is bent out of at with the central portion between the sides being additionally bent so as to form an arch portion. The sides 34a and 34b may be either parallel or if tapered toward each other, the taper is at a lesser degree than sides 12a and 12b. As best seen in FIG. 3 the member 36 has its sides 34a and 34b formed and spaced so that in repose the inner curved surfaces of these edges will grip the edges-12a and 12b also on their inner surfaces. With a slight difference, in angularity between these two pairs of edges, the edges 34a and 34b will at the end 38 of grip member 32 tend to bite into or more strongly engage the angular walls 12a and 12b. By grasping the sides of the grip member 32 and squeezing so as to urge sides 34a and 34b toward each other the frictional engagement of the two pairs of engaging sides will be released and the slide-grip will be able to be easily moved relative to the body member 10.

The slide-grip 32 has its iront edge 41D shaped so as to provide a parabola indention therein. Near and at the vertex of the parabola curve, the sheet metal 36 is turned downwardly at 42 so as to provide a noncutting or nonmarring edge. This parabola indention is proportioned so as to mate with the smaller circular portion of passageway-24 as the slide 32 is move-d yto the left as in FIG. 2. The position `of the slide 32 determines the'desired size of opening for the gripping of the handle 28 of brush 30. The larger the opening between edge 2liand edge 4l), the lower the brush is able to be hung, and the smaller the resulting opening, the higher the brush will be carried. This adjustable opening permits the grasping of any shaped handle for all size brushes andfor suspending 4these brushes to any desired depth in the iluid in the container.

FIG. 6 shows an alternate container engaging means. In this embodiment arms 18a and 19a are now bent to form arms 118e and 119:1 so as to more tightly engage and grip the outer rolled edge of a container 50. The stop arm 20 is also bent at a lesser angle to form arm 120 and in this position is able to more tightly engage the underside of the lid groove formed inthe container rim.

FIG. 6A shows a further alternate container engagingV means in which a container 150 may be a large juice can with the `top removed by a can opener. In this embodiment arms 18a and i911 are now bent to form arms 218e and Zla and the stop arm 2G is bent at an oblique angle to form stop arm 22? and as thus Constructed is able to hold the paint brush holder in position on the can.

FIG. 7 shows a holder having two slides and two openings. In this embodiment a body member 110 has two openings 124 and two slide-grip members 132. These slide-grip members have less acute parabola formed edges 140 so that two brushes 30 disposed in the openings 124 and gripped by members 132 may be retained with the handles and brushes in angular relationship substantially as shown.

The above description has indicated that the preferred material for making this invention is sheet metal; however, the newer molded plastics might be also used to make the various members if the plastic was selected of resistant to the chemical constituents usually found in the various paint cleaning formulas.

Use and operation To use this brush holder, the member 10 is grasped s0 as to permit slide-grip 32 to be grasped by its edges 34a and 34h. The slide-grip is squeezed suiciently so as to permit easy sliding of the grip 32 to a position substantially as shown in FIG. l. The handle 28 of any brush 36 is now brought up through the larger portion of opening 24 whence the slide 32 is pushed to the lef-t an amount sufcient to grip the handle 28 at whatever point below the larger handle portion 26 is desired. The handle 2S is gripped and retained by the left hand smaller portion of opening 24 in the i'lat portion 16 and the parabolic formed front edge 40 in slide 32. A similar procedure is used to hold any two brushes in the dual holder of FIG. 7. These brushes may be of any size and may be dissimilar, the adjustable opening permitting the desired suspension to be eifected.

The holder and brush is now placed in the container S0 with the elements 18a, 19a and 20 engaging the edge of the container and portions 18 and 19 resting thereon. The brush or brushes are then adjusted up or down as desired so as to bring the bristles to the desired depth in whatever liquid is 0r is lto be put in the container. This adjustment is performed by moving the slide longitudinally to increase or decrease the effective opening between member 1) and slide 32.

Having described this invention with some particularity, the above disclosure is by way of illustration, and although an embodiment and modification thereof have been shown and described, it will of course be understood that various other modifications may be devised by those skilled in the art which will embody the principles of the invention as found in the true spirit and scope of the appended claims.

What we claim is:

1. A paint brush holder adapted to rest upon the open end of a container while adjustably holding a paint brush by its handle so as to maintain the paint brush in a suspended position, said holder comprising; (1) a body member having at least one handle passageway extending through said body member the passageway disposed intermediate the edges and ends of the body member, (2) longitudinal guide means attached to said body member, (3) a slide-grip member for each passageway, each slidegrip member having a guide extending from each longitudinal edge thereof with each of the slide-grip guides adapted to engage a longitudinal body member guide and slide thereon, said slide-grip member having its intermediate bridge portion bowed so as to provide an outward bias to each yslide-grip guide urging them outwardly into contact with the body guides and lproviding therewith a releasable locking means for the slide-grip in relation to the body member, and (4) handle engaging means formed in one end of each slide-grip member for engaging and holding the handle of a paint brush between one edge of the handle passageway and the handle engaging means in the grip-member when said grip-member is urged toward the handle passageway of the body member.

2. A paint brush holder according to claim 1 in which the longitudinal guide sides provide guideways slightly converging toward each other toward one end and away from the passageway, the guideways lying in a common plane.

3. A paint brush holder adapted to rest on the open end of a container while adjustably holding a paint brush by its handle so as to maintain the paint brush in a suspended position, said holder comprising; (l) a body member of generally rectangularly shaped sheet material, (2) container engaging means formed on one end of the bodymember, said means for retaining `the body member in preselected position over the open end of a container, (3) rolled longitudinal edges on the body member forming longitudinal side guides and providing guideways, the side guides slightly converging toward each other in a 5 6 common plane and as they approach one end of the body grip guide and urging the grip guides into frietional member, (4) at least one handle passageway extending engagement with the body guides. through said body member and disposed intermediate the edges and ends of the body member, (5) a slide-grip References Ced b5 h@ Examllel member for each passageway, each slide member having 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS a guide extending from each longitudinal edge thereof,

each guide loosely engaging one of the body guides and 24S-231126); slldlng thereon, and (6) a bridge portion between the 8521144 9/58 Reno 211 65 longitudinal edges of the slide-grip member, the bridge portion bowed to provide an outward bias to each slide- 10 CLAUDE A. LE ROY, Primary Examiner. 

1. A PAINT BRUSH HOLDER ADAPTED TO REST UPON THE OPEN END OF A CONTAINER WHILE ADJUSTABLY HOLDING A PAINT BRUSH BY ITS HANDLE SO AS TO MAINTAIN THE PAINT BRUSH IN A SUSPENDED POSITION, SAID HOLDER COMPRISING; (1) A BODY MEMBER HAVING AT LEAST ONE HANDLE PASSAGEWAY EXTENDING THROUGH SAID BODY MEMBER THE PASSAGEWAY DISPOSED INTERMEDIATE THE EDGES AND ENDS OF THE BODY MEMBER, (2) LONGITUDINAL GUIDE MEANS ATTACHED TO SAID BODY MEMBER, (3) A SLIDE-GRIP MEMBER FOR EACH PASSAGEWAY, EACH SLIDE GRIP MEMBER HAVING A GUIDE EXTENDING FROM EACH LONGITUDINAL EDGE THEREOF WITH EACH OF THE SLIDE-GRIP GUIDES ADAPTED TO ENGAGE A LONGITUDINAL BODY MEMBER GUIDE AND SLIDE THEREON, SAID SLIDE-GRIP MEMBER HAVING ITS INTERMEDIATE BRIDGE PORTION BOWED SO AS TO PROVIDE AN OUTWARD BIAS TO EACH SLIDE-GRIP GUIDE URGING THEM OUTWARDLY INTO CONTACT WITH THE BODY GUIDES AND PROVIDING THERE- 